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Sexuality and Physical Disability: A Disability-Affirmative Approach to Assessment and Intervention Within Health Care

  • Integrating the Psychosocial (B McCarthy, RT Segraves and AH Clayton, Section Editors)
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Abstract

The role of sexual health has been historically underaddressed in the assessment and treatment of people with disabilities. This is due to several factors, including provider discomfort and lack of competence in discussing sexual health, and few assessment tools or treatment strategies designed specifically for people with disabilities. However, the literature suggests that people with disabilities desire opportunities for sexual expression and are engaging in sexual activity. The research shows that sexual health is an important component of overall quality of life. We aim to update readers to ongoing and new discourse about the complex factors associated with sexual health for people with disabilities, review available assessments and interventions and make suggestions for how to integrate these into a disability-affirmative framework that is relevant for a range of health-care providers in varied settings, and make recommendations for future inquiry and practice. We emphasize that providers working with people with disabilities need to be educated in the social model of disability and aware of the biopsychosocial factors affecting sexual health, as well as encouraged to develop insight into their own disability biases. People with disabilities represent the largest minority population in the USA, and the health-care system is now challenged to grow and adapt to the needs of this traditionally underserved population. Through the lens of a health-care system, we recommend incorporating discussions about sexual health into an integrative primary care model that promotes accessibility and patient-centered care for people with disabilities.

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Nina W. Eisenberg, Sarah-Rae Andreski, and Linda R. Mona declare no conflicts of interest.

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  1. Behavioral Health (06/116-B), VA Long Beach Healthcare System, 5901 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA, 90822, USA

    Nina W. Eisenberg, Sarah-Rae Andreski & Linda R. Mona

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  1. Nina W. Eisenberg
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  3. Linda R. Mona
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Correspondence to Linda R. Mona.

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Eisenberg, N.W., Andreski, SR. & Mona, L.R. Sexuality and Physical Disability: A Disability-Affirmative Approach to Assessment and Intervention Within Health Care. Curr Sex Health Rep 7, 19–29 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-014-0037-3

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